The Top 5 Biggest Mistakes Writers Make (and How To Fix Them)

The Top 5 Biggest Mistakes Writers Make (And How to Fix Them)

If you're crafting your first short story or your next deep novel draft, the journey of a writer is fraught with possible pitfalls. The great news is most common blunders are fix-able once you are aware of what they are. Avoid these top five mistakes and it will elevate your work from amateur hour to a polished, engaging and a professional read.

The Top 5 Biggest Mistakes Writers Make

1. Telling Instead of Showing:

   This one is worth repeating over and over and it's a common mistake among writers. Just telling readers about emotions or actions like ("Her sister was scared") rather than using more vivid and imaginative and sensory details like ("Her skinny knees were knocking together") is a common mistake. Showing in an imaginative way helps immerse your readers in the world and allows them to draw their own conclusions, creating a more powerful and engaging experience. Remember imagination is what makes reading powerful, so help your readers along by showing instead of telling.

   
   

2. Lack of Conflict or Plot in Stories that need a driving force:

   A big mistake is having a premise where "nothing happens" or the characters face no meaningful obstacles in the story. Conflict, whether big or small, is necessary to propel the plot forward and keep readers interested in how the characters navigate their journey, challenges and work toward some kind of a goal.

   
   

3. Inconsistent or Undefined Characters:

   Characters are the heart of a story, but new and unseasoned writers sometimes create characters that lack depth or act against their already established personality traits simply to serve the plot. To avoid this, writers should fully flesh out their characters' motivations, backstories, and quirks, ensuring their actions are consistent with their unique self.

   
   

4. Tangled Beginnings and Information dumps:

   Lots of manuscripts begin way too early, before the interesting part of the story actually starts, or they contain large blocks of information (info dumps) that pause the narrative to provide backstory or world-building information. Instead, writers should aim to start the story with an intriguing incident and weave necessary background details naturally into the on-going action.

   
   

5. Insufficient Editing and Rushing to Publish:

   A first draft is rarely a finished product and it’s just that “a draft”. A major mistake is submitting or self-publishing work to early without a thorough revision and editing process that includes multiple drafts, feedback from critique partners or editors, and careful proofreading. Rushing the process often results in a subpar manuscript, while patience and a robust revision strategy are really important for producing professional quality work. 

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Take for instance my friend Dr. Dan Doyle. He tirelessly goes over his pre-published revisions and drafts dozens and dozens of times, until he is reasonably satisfied he has covered everything in a powerful, catching and sufficient way to not only tell the story but to tell it in an engaging way.

• With his book “For A Women's Love” I cannot even count the amount of times he re-wrote (and I re-read and edited) paragraphs and passages from his story based on true events, to get it just right. Check it out, it’s well worth the read.

  
  

So are we solving The Top 5 Biggest Mistakes Writers Make no but I think we have provided some very helpful tips. Avoiding all these things won't guarantee a bestseller, but it will drastically improve the quality and readability of your writing, helping you connect more effectively with your audience. Happy writing!

As always thanks for being part of our growing community of writer's, who are on their own journey to bringing to life their stories. Please take a moment and leave a comment or suggestion that might just help the next writer in his efforts to producing his next bestseller